Wednesday, 30 December 2015

OK I have a few Lemmy stories but my fave is yet another night when I
was working in Dingwalls back in early eighties London and Lemmy was (as per) there and playing the machines and come closing
time, (technically 2 but 3AM by the time all was finished) his trick
usually was to borrow one of the BIG bottles of vodka that went up on
the optic and the next day about 5PM - just as I was bottling from the
night before - a replacement would arrive by taxi but this night he
asked me what I was doing and I said I was just going back to my
girlfriend's place up in Tufnell Park. now at this point I should say
that Deb E who he knew was a young blonde rock chick who prob fitted in
with his preferred demographic of women but whatever...anyway we had to
walk I don't know half hour or 40 mins up the road and he suddenly
stopped half way and offered me a couple of these black six sided large
pills which I had never seen before. Fuck me! It was how I imagine
adrenalin would feel injected straight into your heart with the added
'bonus' of immediate lockjaw! I couldn't speak my teeth were that
clenched. But I prob walked a bit faster up the road *ahem. Anyway
getting up to Deb's place I'd forgotten that Roddy from the Specials was
crashing up at our place that night. Now I'd always loved Roddy's
company especially when I found out he was called Roddy Radiation
because his face turned red when he drank beer!!! I also really liked
his post Specials band The Tearjerkers and I still have my old denim
jacket with that logo on the back, prob doesn't fit me anymore but hey
ho... Anyway on the walk we'd chatted at my instigation about
hippies (as one thing I cannot stand...) and it was interesting as
Hawkwind were never hippies in my book (and the amount of times I fell
asleep to Space Ritual with those big mid 70's 'cans' stuck to my head.
Boy did my head hurt the next day...) and there was some other stuff
after asking about his dad etc...anyway get to Deb's place oh and fuck
me Roddy is in tears...he'll never get back to the USA again to get
great clothes again etc etc. A bit of speed in Roddy's blood and a wee
bit of the vodka that suddenly appeared and oh man...one of the best
nights ever. Rock'n'roll tales, talking about this and that with all of
us with the biggest smiles. I at that time had a particularly good
relationship with a (some would say well dodgy but I wouldn't)) kebab
place around the corner and they are STILL there come 8AM or so...and so
it went on until about midday. One of my fave nights for sure...as he
left Lemmy gave me the address of his flat in Notting Hill/Ladbroke
Grove (wherever) and said come round anytime but it was not my stomping
ground at all and besides he was nearly always round at my workplace. He was a fugn gentleman.

Monday, 28 December 2015

Not since the Second World War has there been displacement of people on the scale that occurred in 2015; nor it seems, since that dark nadir of the 20th century, has there been such ugly division over how millions of people fleeing war and persecution might be helped.They sailed in tiny rubber boats or wooden fishing vessels. They tramped through fields and along railway tracks, with children slung over their shoulders and old people leaning on canes. Some nations built wire fences and walls to keep them out. Some deployed armed forces, water cannon and dogs to deter them at border crossings.Terrorism and civil wars have destabilised the governments of their nations, and always the wickedness of persecution rolls on. But instead of demonstrating compassion and care for the disadvantaged and dispossessed, political opportunists and fear-mongers have fomented wicked cynicism, racism and malice.In Australia, our government continues to use the most despicable tactics to deter asylum seekers. For the past two years, this nation has turned back boats at sea, directing them to other countries. It has detained asylum seekers on naval vessels and handed them back to nations that persecute them for fleeing. Have we shown these people that this is a nation governed by wise and kindly people, or by political grandstanders pursuing their own interests?The Age believes strongly, and we will say this until the policy ends, that the strategy of turning back boats carrying asylum seekers is ignoble. It demonstrates a paucity of imagination. It has been ruthlessly executed, without proper regard for the asylum claims of those people intercepted. And it has brought this nation into disrepute around the world.The asylum seekers who arrive here have not broken the law. We will say it again: they are not "illegals". They have used the avenues allowed to anyone under international law – under the United Nations covenants to which Australia subscribes – to seek refuge from all forms of persecution.It is time to call an amnesty, to end the imprisonment of people who came here seeking help and a better life. It is time to recognise that jailing people in detention facilities for years on end, denying them hope or any alternative, and treating them without compassion, is the most inhumane thing that we could do – short of shipping them back to the situation that they fear in their own countries.No good can possibly be served by detaining people a day longer in camps in Third World nations. No good is served by denying refugees who are living in Australia the right to work. No good comes from demonising refugees, by ostracising them from the mainstream community.Good will come by dissolving the oppressive, offshore prisons, by allowing the 827 people who have been detained for more than a year (436 for more than two years) to be let free and to be given a chance to make their way in this country.The policy of locking up those who did arrive on Australian shores before late 2013, and detaining them on Nauru or Manus Island – where their options, if resettled, are extremely limited – defies common sense. It is costly, and it is a corruption of our vows to pursue humanitarian principles.We call on the Turnbull government to allow all asylum seekers who are found to be refugees to join our community, on Australian soil. Give them the freedom to be productive members of our democracy, and show the world that we are made stronger by doing so, that we are a compassionate and free people, a resolute and confident nation that properly respects the full range of human rights.

Last year we were asked to write a theme tune for the Bond movie Spectre.Yes we were. It didn’t work out, but became something of our own, which we love very much.As the year closes we thought you might like to hear it.Merry Christmas. May the force be with youDownload

Thursday, 17 December 2015

Wednesday, 16 December 2015

Nine Inch Nails and long-time collaborator and artist
Russell Mills present Cargo In The Blood, a deluxe, limited edition
320-page book collecting all of the works the artist created for Nine
Inch Nails’ Hesitation Marks album. Each volume also includes an
original mixed media painting created by Russell Mills specifically for
the project. Available exclusively on NIN.com, Cargo In The Blood is
limited to 2000 copies and will be available to order 12/16/15 10am PT.

To document the inspiration and process behind the artwork of Cargo
In The Blood and Mills’ previous collaboration with Nine Inch Nails on
The Downward Spiral, filmmaker Charles Leek created this short film
containing exclusive footage and access to the artist

Live
recording of improvisation between Jochen Arbeit of Einstürzende
Neubauten and Robin Rimbaud - Scanner as part of the 30th year
anniversary celebrations of the band, recorded at The Forum in London,
16th October 2010.
This live set was completely improvised with no rehearsal and what you
hear is exactly what the audience heard that night. No adjustments, no
cleaning up, just the truly raw, edgy and thrilling exposure to the
moment.
Luke Turner of The Quietus captured the concert perfectly in describing
it as "Jochen Arbeit's live collaboration with Robin 'Scanner' Rimbaud
was an unqualified sex, retaining a propulsive groove and stern energy
despite the improvised nature of the piece."

released October 28, 2014
All music written and performed by Jochen Arbeit and Robin Rimbaud
Photography by Zarina Rimbaud-Kadirbaks

In the slums of the future, virtual reality junkies satisfy their violent
impulses in online entertainment. An expert player discovers that the
line between games and reality is starting to fade away. 3DAR’s latest
short film explores the frightening potential of our next technological
revolutionInfo

Thursday, 10 December 2015

Petr Pavlensky is one of the main artists of the Nordwind Festival 2015. After his final action “Threat”, he was arrested and is currently in pre-trial detention in Moscow. In the early morning hours of November 9, 2015, the activist artist set fire to the front door of the Russian Federal Court FSB, residence from which in the 30s the Stalin purges were organized. Pawlenski was accompanied by two Russian journalists who documented the action.

The pictures went around the world and in Russia sparked a discussion on how citizens can claim their rights against an increasingly encroaching State. Pawlenski's prison sentence is expected to be 2 years. In Russian prisons an entirely inadequate basic care is provided, so that all prisoners are dependent on external resources. On online stores, food for the prisoner can be ordered at inflated prices for the prisoners, which makes the stay extremely expensive.In cooperation with the partners: Kampnagel Hamburg, Sophiensaele Berlin and Dresden Hellerau, the Northwind Festival is calling out a fundraiser in favor of Pjotr Pawlenski, in order to assist him in prison. The complete amount will be given to Oksana Shalygina, Pjotr Pawlenski's partner.
Account name: SISUTheater e.V. / Piotr Pawlenski
IBAN: DE 31 4306 0967 1146 3385 02
BIC: GENODEM1GLSПетр